These Staff Award Winners Make Chico State a Great Place to Work

A pillar of the Chico State campus community is its staff. Employees from all fields of specialization and expertise help to keep operations running as smoothly as possible for our students and faculty, and recently, the best of these employees were honored for their contributions to campus. Their work at the University earned them Staff Council’s top honors for 2018 at the Staff Excellence Awards, celebrating employees’ job performance, years of service, work relationships, and contributions to the University.

The Outstanding Staff Employee of the Year is Kathy Castleberry, who was nominated for her role in finding needed space for “Leaders for a Lifetime,” a Hmong student organization dedicated to providing a pipeline for young Hmong students hoping to enter college. Castleberry, a 20-year Chico State employee who works in support of the dean’s office in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, was honored for her reliability and friendliness, on top of exceptional expertise in her position.

Colleagues describe Castleberry as kind, approachable, knowledgeable, and patient: “[She] simply makes my job easier and more enjoyable,” said one nominator. Known as a highly dedicated professional and a master of creating efficient processes—a critical skill, highly valued among the dean’s team—she regularly engages in self-directed projects and is enthusiastic about her work. That enthusiasm rubs off on her colleagues and the students she helps. Always gentle and kind, Castleberry helps those around her improve, not with chastisement or admonishment, but with encouragement and support.

The winner of the Customer Service Award, Flora Nunn, was announced to raucous applause—and, given her tireless positivity, it’s little wonder why. Nunn, who serves as the interlibrary borrowing services lead in Meriam Library, is renowned for her friendly, welcoming, inclusive personality and professionalism. One nominator likened Nunn’s job to a “treasure hunt,” adding that Nunn relishes the daily challenge of sleuthing out solutions for patrons and colleagues alike.

Of all the fantastic traits she displays, perhaps none other better describes Nunn, a 20-year Chico State employee, than excellence: The most common descriptor among her nominators was her efficiency, professionalism, attentiveness, and promptness.

“The challenge she enjoys most involves helping students and faculty,” said award presenter Erin Tarabini. “She always goes beyond her job duties.”

New to the STAC awards this year is the Staff Safety Award, and in its inaugural year, its recipient is Keith Crawford, a coordinator with Adventure Outings. Crawford, chair of the Wildcat Recreation Center Risk Management Committee for the past four years, was recognized for a laundry list of accomplishments that support University employee safety by working safely, participating in training, and communicating ideas on how to improve safe work practices.

Crawford was lauded for his instrumental role in advancing safety and risk management practices both in Adventure Outings and within the Associated Students, making recommendations that led to the development of an epinephrine auto-injector certification course and implementation of skills and safety checklists. He volunteered as a swiftwater rescue instructor, developed an app called Certminder to track certifications for Adventure Outings staff and more than 120 WREC employees, and serves as as a member of the Butte County Search and Rescue Team in his free time.

“Mr. Crawford has gone above and beyond his duties to create a safer environment for Adventure Outings, Associated Students, and at CSU, Chico,” said presenter Elaina McReynolds, the chair of the Campus Health and Safety Committee.

And finally, the winner of the Wildcat Spirit Award is Katie Sibley. This award honors a staff member who embodies what it means to be a Wildcat—a supportive team member who helps make Chico State an outstanding place to work. Sibley, an admin support specialist in Facilities Management and Services who has worked at Chico State since 2016, earned this honor by virtue of a “warm, cheerful, positive attitude” that fosters team camaraderie and campus pride.

Sibley demonstrated her commitment to campus and the Chico community through her work with the annual Veterans Day Hoorah 5K Run. As a driving force behind this event’s success, Sibley’s work behind the scenes includes creating its website, implementing internal and external advertising campaigns, coordinating volunteers, establishing the race-day route, tallying particpants, and purchasing all supplies. This year’s race raised $9,000 for student veterans, doubling last year’s successes.

“She is spirited, passionate, and proud to work at Chico State,” said presenter and campus photographer Jason Halley, last year’s Wildcat Spirit Award winner. “She demonstrates all of these qualities on a regular basis, and her ability to foster positive relationships is a benefit to our campus.”